Princess Kate Middleton may not be returning to work anytime soon — but she has been spending time with her little ones .
The recuperating royal recently has been spotted in public with her children, a source told Us Weekly exclusively. Kate, 42, shares three kids — Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, 9, and Prince Louis, 6 — with husband Prince William.
Daily Mail reports that that Kate “has been seen out and about more with her family in recent weeks. The outlet adds that these public outings “will be taken as a positive sign by many” as the Princess of Wales continues to undergo treatment. The report also noted that “tens of thousands” of Get Well Soon cards have been sent to Buckingham Palace in recent months.
Kate underwent a planned abdominal surgery in January; her extended absence from public events led to questions about her whereabouts. On March 22, she revealed in a globally released video that she had been diagnosed with cancer.
“We hope that you’ll understand that as a family, we now need some time, space, and privacy while I complete my treatment,” Kate said at the time. “My work has always brought me a deep sense of joy, and I look forward to being back when I’m able. But for now, I must focus on making a full recovery.”
News that Kate has been spotted out comes days after royal expert Richard Eden told the Daily Mail that her friends have projected the fall for her return to work. “No one wants to put any pressure” on Kate, a source told Eden late last week.
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“The only thing that matters at the moment is her getting better. She has been through an ordeal this year,” the Daily Mail report read. “What this means in practice is that big decisions, such as the appointment of new staff, can wait.”
The same source told Eden that the Princess of Wales has “given as much time as she needs” to recover, which emphasizes her “importance to the future of the Monarchy.”
As Kate takes a step back from her public duties, royal watchers have questioned whether she will make an appearance at the annual Trooping the Colour event on June 15 to celebrate King Charles III.
Royal expert Christopher Andersen weighed in during an interview with Us Weekly earlier this month.
“She may appear on the balcony; that’s not too much of a strain on her, I wouldn’t think,” Anderson speculated. “But [if] she doesn’t, it’s just going to look sad and odd and send the message [that] things are perhaps a little worse than we thought and so we’ll have to wait and see.”